Proudly Supporting

There is strong evidence that consumption of violent media risks influencing people’s thoughts, attitudes and behaviour. The evidence cannot ever be conclusive but in our society we take some pretty drastic measures based on less than ironclad proof ... Regulatory action to respond to the science on violent media would not simply be a matter of tightening up access on all fronts. A root and branch review of the classification categories and criteria is needed to shift the focus away from what is offensive to what is harmful based on the evidence. Read full article

As reported on news.com.au yesterday, the major free-to-air stations are lobbying the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to drop the time zone restrictions for broadcasters – a change that will allow adult-rated shows to be aired at any time of day or night. ACMA is considering the submission as part of its review of broadcasting regulations. Read full article

This morning I had an article about media content classification published on a website.* The article discusses some proposed deregulatory changes to the Australian classification system and points out that these do not appear to serve the review’s guiding principle that "children should be protected from material that is likely to harm or disturb them." The first comment out of the blocks was: "Somebody think of the children!" Read full article

Industry is looking like emerging the winner from a review into Australia's classification system for media including films. A recent set of proposals on the classification system for media content is disturbingly industry friendly and contains little to help children and parents ... The proposals show an extraordinary tendency to push regulation into the hands of industry. Read full article